Enhancing scientific discovery and problem-solving through integrated research.

Achieving the USGS Science Strategy Through Organizationally Supported Integrated Analysis

The U.S. Geological Survey is defined by a long and proud history of serving society by providing vital knowledge of natural resources.  The great western geological and geographical surveys of the King, Powell, Wheeler, and Hayden Expeditions advanced scientific discovery and exploration and inspired the formal establishment of the USGS. Today, as the USGS continues the tradition of scientific inquiry and providing relevant science, it recognizes society’s changing needs by implementing new and innovative processes to combine and apply scientific understanding to resolve significant and complex issues, as outlined in the USGS Science Strategy. The Powell Center serves as a catalyst for innovative thinking in earth system science research by providing scientists from different backgrounds a place and time to focus on multi-faceted issues. Why? Working together in concentrated work sessions promotes absorption of new ideas and fosters debate among colleagues with different perspectives. Tete-a-tete meetings, lacking common distractions, promote synthesis of ideas that cannot be readily achieved through conference calls or online collaboration. Examples from the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), after which the Powell Center is modeled, show that providing a place and time for scientists to engage in collaborative activity changes the way knowledge is produced (Hackett et al., 2008). NCEAS has transformed the science of ecology with hundreds of publications with high citation rates, and prompted hundreds of scientists to become enthusiastic supporters of collaborative and synthetic efforts. The Powell Center bridges geographic and disciplinary distances and sparks interactions that turn mature information into understanding. The Powell Center‘s success will raise the profile of the USGS with cutting edge, high visibility publications. The Powell Center is a scientist-driven institution where leveraging existing research efforts produces powerful new insights and moves scientific understanding and its inclusion into management forward at an accelerated pace.